Electric switch



Potenfed Nov. 3, 1936 UNTED STATES PATENT oFFICE ELEoTBIo SvvITof App"ootion septonlbof 15, 193f, Soiol lTog ff4,099

9 olailns. (oL 2oo166) This fnvention felates to in1pfovementS in e1ec tno sWitches and refefs mofe porticulofly to the contactS thereof.

In a copending appHcation of Lynn I. Mat

thias, Serial No. 7,131, nled septembef 15th, 193, the provision of fneans for pfeventing ab nofn1al tenlperatuTe fiseS at the contactS of an electfic sWitch is diSCloSed, Such undeSifable contaot ten1peratuTe TiSeS are lorgely the fesult of vibfotion at the contoots. consequently, by

preventing tf1is vibfotion, the undesirable tefn peratuTe fise are pfecluded.

In the aforesaid copending application, one fnanner of danlping out these vibfations is dis cloSed, and v hi1e the IneanS Shown therein iS effective, the pfeSent invention has as its bfood general1 objeot to provide an iInproved and siI 1 plified Ineans fo1' pTeventing the objectionable vibration.

tion to conlbine this nleans vvith the Tegulaf con tact preSSure spfing of in other vvofdS to provide a contact pfeSSufe spTing Which is so constructed that it inheTently povides Ineans for holding the Inovable contact ogoinst objectionoble vibfa tion When the SWitch is c1osed.

vvith the above and othef objects in view Which vvi11 appeaf als the deScription pfoceeds, this in vention fesides in tffe n ovel construction, com bination and arfangenlent of paftS substontiany os heTeinafter desofibed and more pofMculany defined by the appended olaims, it being undef Stood that Such chonges in the precise eInbodi Inent of the hefeindisclosed invention fnay be mode'as oome Within the scope of the claims.

'f1e accoInpanying dravving illustrates one complete example of the phySica1 embodiment of the invention oonstfucted acoofding to the best fnode so fof devised for the praotica1 applicotion of the pfinciples thereof, ond in vvhich= ,igufe 1 is o front elevotion vvfth parts bfoken 8Woy 8nd in seotion inustrating parf of a svvitch ossenbly ond the apphcation of this invention thefeto;

:E'igufe 2 is oz cfoss section vievv taken through I 'igufe 1 on the plone of the line 22; ond

g11fe 3 is 90 perspeotive vievv of the oontact fessufe s ring.

Befefring nOW mofe pofticulorly to the ocoomponying dfovving, the nufnero1 5 Tepresents ar terfnfna1 head fofnled of s11itable if1st1loting fn9 terlo1 and Sefving as o support for the Stotionary contocts 5.

In the pfesent instonce this tero1ino1 head is pfovided of its undefside With 8 plufanty of Mofe Specifically it is an objoot of this inven separoted aro quenching chan1befs of pockets to the ceilings of vhich tfle setS of stationory contactS 6 are n1ounted. The mounting screWs 8 vvhich hold the contaots in pace Inay be used to alSo mount terIninalS 9 and electTically con nect the Same with the contacts 6.

Each pair of Stationary contacts s is adapted to be electrioally bridged by a Inovable contactor lll having contactS fxed to its outer endsf11 of the contoctors lo aTe n1ounted by means of upStanding postS or studS 2, on an actuator bar |3 adapted to be Inoved by InechanisIn (nof Shown) to open and oloSe the svvitch.

The contactors l are So Inounted on theif postS lz as to have al degree of fI1otion with fespect to the actuatof bar l3, vvf1ich Inotion, When the svvitch is open and the contactS afe diSen gaged, iS taken up by con1pfession springs en ciroling the posts l2 and oonfined betWeen the contaotofS and the actuotof baf l3. tTpon olosure of the SWitch and engagement of the contctS, the Spfings l5 are cofnpresSed and pfovide contact presSufe vvith the conventiono1 vvire con spfing hefetofore used, the contoctof vvoS ffee to rock of vi brate about an oxis, wflich oxis is longitudinal to the oontactor and passeS through the points of engagen1ent of the contacfs. This focking Inotion of vibTation, a.s Inore alt length bfought out in the aforesaid oopending applicaltion, in creases the contact TesiStance ond TeSI11ts in on objeotionable contact tenlpefature fise.

This undesirable focking motion of vibfation on the paft of the contactof of nlovoble contact is best arrested by applying ar n1echanico1 fofce on the contaotof or Inovable contact in opposition to the fofce tending to pToduce the vibration; and in the afofesaid copending appncation, the oppoSing fofce is obtained by friction intfoduced by a spring nger engaging the contactof.

In the pfesent invention, the fofoe of fTiction is again utilized to oppose the fofce tending to produce the obiectionable vibration, but Without the addition of 9. sepaTate Spring nlen1ber of its equivalent. ere an inhefent attfibute of the nove1 spTing used to afford oontact pfessure, pro vides the ffiction.

It is noted that the Springs lf aTe of the conico1 type and that theif oons ofe compoSed of 8 not Tibbon so vvound aS to h8vo intiInate ffictional engagefnent With each other. ':'his constfuction effectively pfecludeS latefa1 flexufe of the spfings Without in ony Wise interfering vvith the nofna1 endWise expansion and oontfootion thereof, ond inasmuch as the ends of the Spfings have f1f1f) 

